The family of a 20-year-old who died in a car crash on the M42 because the person driving him drunkenly drove the wrong way down a slip road, have released a tribute in his memory.

Harry Smart died on 4 October 2022, following the incident caused by Thomas O'Brien-Wood.

O'Brien-Wood was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving at Warwick Crown Court in February, and disqualified from driving for eight years and nine months.

The 21-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge at an earlier hearing on 20 December 2023 where he received an interim disqualification from driving until his sentence.

Warwickshire Police has today (March 19) released a statement on behalf of Mr Smart's family.

"Harry was the gentlest of souls, never judging anyone and always there for everyone, on the night he was driven to his death by Thomas O'Brien-Wood, all he did was put his trust in someone who was not a close friend but an acquaintance, a friend of friend who he trusted to get him home safely," it said.

"Instead that person so selfishly took Harry's life, through his own very selfish choices and actions."

Thomas O'Brien-Wood has been jailed for seven and a half years (image via Warwickshire Police)

"Nothing will bring our beautiful one in a million Harry back, we can only hope that this highlights the huge risk for people who think 'it will never happen to me,' will never make the decision to trust people who they do not really know and get in a car with them and leave it to chance that they are drug and alcohol free, please take a taxi."

On 4 October 2022 O'Brien-Wood was driving a Ford Fiesta, and had failed to stop for West Midlands Police officers on the A446 prior to joining the M42 and was driving dangerously. 

Due to the manner of driving, the initial pursuit was abandoned and the vehicle was lost. 

A short time later, police received a 999 call stating that the Ford Fiesta had been involved in a collision as it entered the wrong slip road on the M42 Junction 9 driving towards oncoming traffic. 

The vehicle had collided with an oncoming vehicle, killing the front seat passenger. 

Officers arrived, and O'Brien-Wood was intoxicated testing positive for alcohol and drugs, namely cocaine.

"Thomas O'Brien-Wood chose to be uninsured, not stop for police, be under the influence of drink and well over the limit for cocaine," Mr Smart's family added.

"Harry was simply a passenger with no drugs in his system, in a vehicle that was driven in a manner that not only killed Harry but could of caused harm or even further deaths, as one car flashed, another steered out of his path whilst driving down the M42 motorway the wrong way to try and warn him and make him stop. 

"Luckily they are ok and alive but it could have been so different.

"Thomas O'Brien-Wood's irresponsible, selfish, dangerous, reckless choices and actions have left an entire family and friends heartbroken with the loss of our much loved 'Big H'.

"Thomas O'Brien-Wood drove Harry to his death bringing to the forefront the devastating effects of driving whilst under the influence of both drugs and alcohol and not abiding by the laws of the road, although a seven-and-a-half year sentence was given, this will never be enough and our youngsters on the road need to be made more aware of the dangers out there.

"Harry will forever be in our hearts, his life nothing but a series of memories that won't surpass past his 20 years, 'missed beyond words loved for eternity'."